Network interface controllers (NICs), also known as network adapters, network interface controllers, network interface cards, or local area network (LAN) adapters, are hardware devices that handle interfaces to computer networks and allow a computing device, such as a network-capable device, to access the respective networks. The NIC has a read-only memory chip that stores a unique number, the media access control (MAC) address. The MAC address identifies the device uniquely on the network (e.g., LAN). The NIC can be both Layer 1 (physical layer) and Layer 2 (data link layer) device, since it provides physical access to a networking medium and provides a low-level addressing system, typically using the MAC address. The NICs allow users of the computing devices to connect over wired or wireless networks.
The bandwidth used by a compute node in a data center typically exceeds the capabilities of a single NIC. Accordingly, link aggregation technologies are used to bundle network bandwidth and provide redundancy. In conventional systems, only a single aggregator can be active at a given time. While some conventional systems can have multiple aggregators, one aggregator is active and the others serve as backup aggregators. Should one of the backup aggregators become active, the originally active aggregator becomes a backup aggregator.